Impulse-starter mechanism for ignition generators



June 112, 11923. 11,458,431

J. L. MILTON IMPULSE STARTER MECHANISM FOR IGNITION GENERATORS Filed March 26. 1920 Patented Jane 12, i925.

Perrier a; man-.6

JOHN L- Ii-IILTON, OF CLEVELAND, (EH10, ASSIG-NOR- TO THE TEAGLE COM'PANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

IMPULSE-STARTER IQEECHAI'HSM FOB IGNITEON GENEZBATORS.

Application filed March 26, 1520. Serial No. 369,083.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known, that 1, JOHN L. l drrrrorv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Impulse- Starter Mechanism for Ignition Generators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class of driving mechanisms for ignition generators of internal combustion engines commonly known as impulse starters. These mechanisms commonly comprise a driven member fastened on the rotor shaft of the generator, a driving member rotatable relative to driven member, a driving spring interposed between the driving and driven members and means for intermittently retarding the rotation of the driven member relative to the driving member so as to give the,rotor of the generator a rapid movement intermittently when the driver is turned slowly during the starting of the engine.

One object of the invention is to provide an emergency device for locking the driving and driven parts of the mechanism to gether in case the normal operation of the mechanism is interfered with by the breaking or derangement of the driving spring or other parts.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a locking device of this character so related to the other parts of the mechanism that the intermittent retarding or stop device of said mechanism will. be rendered inoperative when the loclr is placed in operation, thereby obviating accidental opera tion of the stop device and resulting breakage of the parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a locking device adapted to lock the driving and driven members of the mechanism together in relatively angular positions intermediate their positions for fully advanced spark and fully retarded spark, whereby danger of injury to the operator while hand-cranking is reduced and at the same time, a reasonably eflicient spark for normal engine speeds is provided.

I Other objects of the invention more or less incidental to the foregoing will appear it applied to a form of impulse starter invented by Chas. H. Tower.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a. portion of an ignition current generator showing the impulse starter mechanism with my improved locking device in in-operative position so as to permit normal operation of the starter mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on the line ill-ll, Fig. 1.

Fin 3 is a fragmentary section on the line IH-HL Fig. 1.

Fig. at is a view similar to Fig. l but with my improved locking device in operative position preventing normal operation of the starter inechanis Referring in detail to the construction illust-rated, I shall first briefly describe as much of the starter mechanism as is necessary for an understanding of the present invention. l of an ignition generator of the permanent magnet or magneto type and 2 is the threaded driving end of the rotor shaft of said generator. Fastened on the end of said shaft is the driven member 3 of the impulse starter. This driven member has its periphery formed with two diametrically opposite notches providing ratchet shoulders 53", On the hub 3 of the driven member rotatably mounted a driving memher 4, the shaft 2 and the driving and driven members being secured in operative relation by a suitable nut 5 and washer 6 on the end of the shaft. On its outer face the driving member 4 is provided with clutch teeth or lugs P. 4 to be engaged in well known manner by another clutch driving member.

The driving member 4 is cupped to form an annular chamber between it and the adjacent face of the driven member 3. and in this annular chamber are arranged a coiled driving spring 7 and similar buffer spring 8, said springs being interposed between pins or posts 9 and 10 carried by the driven and driving members respectively. When the driving member is turned in the direction designates one of the end plates of the arrow, Fig. 1, the driving force is 4o i dotted lines in Fig. 1.

transmitted through post 10, spring 7 and post 9 to the driven inember3. In Figs. 1 and 4: the driving and buffer springs are shown in their extended or normal condition. The driving member 4: is formed with opposite flanges 4t", 49 which bear against the outer face of the peripheral part of the driven member 3 and extend radially be- The front edge 11 directly above the generator shaft 2 and on this stud is mounted a locking p'awllt secured-on the stud by cotter pin 15. The longer end'o'f this pawl is'adapted to ride upon the "peripheries of the driven memberv 8 and the driving member 4: and to engage the ratchet orstop shoulders 3" and hold the driven member 3 against rotation;

The short endoi the pawl 141 is engaged by a dog 16 which is pivoted at its lower end on bolt 13. To the upper endot dog 16 is attached one end of a coiled spring 17 which has its opposite end attached to a pivot stud- 18 carried-by a lug 11 on casting 11. The construction and arrangement of the parts is such that thedog 16 will'either yieldingly hold the pawl 14: in the in-operative position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 or will similarly hold it in operative position engaging the driven and driving members as shown by the On the pivot stud 18 is mounted a manual'ca n lever 1.9 adapted to engage the pawl 14: and force-it down, against the tension of spring 17. from its in-operative position to its operative position.

In the operation of the mechanism thus farcdescribed; assuming that the, pawl 14; is in engagement with the driven member 3, as

shown by dotted line in Fi 1, movement otthe driving member & in the direction of the-- arrow will result in a compression ofthe driving spring 7 inasmuch as the driven member is -held against tprning by pawl 14. When the driving member is turned in rela t-ion to the driven member until the cam 4 engages the end of the pawl '14, the-con tinned movement of .the driving member causessaid cam to forcethe pawl out of en gagementw th shoulder 3*, thus releasing the driven member and permitting it to be snapped forward by the; driving spring 7 togive the rotor of the generator a quick forward movement adapted to generate a strong highatensi'on current. i

The end of the pawl 14:, after disengagement from ratchet shoulder 3 rides upon the flange 4 until the diametrically opposite ratchet notch comes under the pawl wheres upon the latter engages the second ratchet shoulder and the operation is repeated. This continues'to occur until the engine starts under its own power; and acquires some speed.

., As soon as the speed of the rotation reaches a certain predetermined, point the force ot the cams r on pawl lt-is suiiicient to throw it'upward. against the tension of spring 17 into its iii-operative positiom shown in full. lines in Fig. 1, and thereafter the rotor of. the generator is driven in'normal fashion in unison with the driving member i, the driv-- and driven members maintaining sub-[y stantially the relative angular positions in dicated in Fig. 1. I The construction and operation above described is substantially that of the impulse starter as devised by Mr. Tower. i i In the use of mechanismsof this kind some difficulty has been encountered incident to the breakage of the driving spring or the breakage or derangement of other parts of the mechanism, such breakage or derangemerit-rendering the mechanism inoperative. v

It is with the overcomingot this difiiculty that the present invention is more particu larly concerned.

The peripheral part of the dri-venmemher 3 is formed with an aperture3 -and one of the cam flanges of thedrivi-ng member is 5 formed with a corresponding apertureu i relation, to align with each other and receive the locking bolt or pin 20. Thepin 20 is normallyniounted in the pawl 14 ,which a said apertures being adapted. when the driv-- ins and driven parts are in a certain angular is drilled out to receive it. The pin is formed" on its inner end with a head 20 and is fitted at its outer end with a r-otter pin 21 securing it in position in the pawl 14 or in the driving and driven parts as the case may be. When the pin 20 is passed through and securedin the apertures 3 and 4- of the driving and driven members as shown in Fig. 4; the said members are positively locked together so that the drive is effected directly trom'the driving member through pin :ZOto the driven member. By thus securing the driven andgrfl' driving members together, in case-ottabrealr age orderangementof the driving spring or other'partsgthe mechanism is litted to trans= init-tlie driving power to,th'e generator, and

permit the operation-of the latter tempora rily untilxthe' mechanism can be'repaire'd or restored to its normal operating conditionf It Wlll be seenathat if the stop pa'wl 1:4.

were thrown into operative engagement, with T the driven member'- Swhen the latter'is.-.positively locked to the driving member by pin-- 20, breakage of the-parts wouldbe likely- I to result; andthis might occureitherby accident or through ignorance or carelessness on the part of the driver of the vehicle.

To prevent this I mount the pin 20 in the pawl 14 in such a manner that the pawl must be removed from its pivot and rendered inoperative in order to disengage the pin 20 and permit its use .in connection with the driving and driven members. On reference to Fig. 3 it will be observed that the clearance between the pawl 14 and the bracket 11 does not permit removal of the pin 52.0 from the pawl. Consequently the pawl must be removed before the locking pin 20 can be placed in operative position in the driving and driven members. This leaves the parts as shown in Fig. 4 so that there is no danger of breakage of the parts incident to interference of the pawl.

On reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the apertures 3 and 4 are normally not in alignment but that the driven member must be moved, relative to the driving member,

from its normal position of full advance, shown in said figure, to a position interme diate that position and its position of full retard in order to bring said apertures in alignment sothat the locking pin 20 can be inserted, it being understood that the position of full retard is that in which the stop shoulders 3 have approached the following cams 4L until the latter are in position to disengage the stop pawl 14 from the shoulders. The relative positions of the apertures 8 and 4 are so determined that the danger from back firing during handbranking is greatly reduced, and at the same time the spark is sufficiently advanced to insure reasonably efficient operation of the engine while running at normal speeds.

For purposes of explanation and illustration, I have shown the invention embodied in a particular form of construction and applied to a particular type of impulse starter, but it is to be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention to the construction illustrated except as may be specified in the appended claims.

What I claim is: i

1. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of rotary driving and driven members, resilient yielding transmit ting means between said members, a stop adapted to temporarily retard the driven member relative to the driving member, and means adapted, in case of breakage or derangement of the apparatus, to lock the driving and driven members together against relative angular movement. I

2. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of rotary driving and driven members, resilient yielding transmitting means between said members, a stop adapted to temporarily retard the driven member relative to the driving member, and means adapted, in case of breakage or derangement of the apparatus, to lock the driving and driven members together against relative angular movement, the said locking means and stop being so related that placing the locking means in operative position necessitates movement of the stop to an inoperative position.

3. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of rotary driving and driven members, resilient yielding transmitting means between said members, a stop adapted to temporarily retard the driven member relative to the driving member, and means adapted, in case of breakage or derangement of the apparatus, to lock the driving and driven members together against relative angular movement, the said locking means being so connected to the stop that the latter must be placed in an inoperative position before the former can be made operative.

a. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of rotary driving and driven members, a stop pawl mounted on a fixed pivot to engage a shoulder of the driven member and retard it relative to the driving member, and a locking bolt adapted to lock the driving and driven members together against relative angular movement, said bolt being so mounted in relation to the pawl that the latter must be removed from its pivot before the bolt can be moved to operative position.

5. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination ofrotary driving and driven members, resilient yielding transmitting means between said members, a stop adapted to temporarily retard the driven member relative to the driving member, and means for locking the driven member to the driving member in an angular position relative to the driving member intermediate its full advance and full retard positions.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

' JOHN L. MILTON. 

